Sweet Potato Latkes

Latkes can be eaten plain as a snack, with a side salad, topped with applesauce, sour cream, or my personal favorite, Greek yogurt.

The French sometimes serve potato galettes with coq au vin. Those of the Jewish persuasion eat them during Hannukah because they are cooked in oil (and delicious). The Swedes add grated potatoes to a pancake batter, and Germans and Austrians like them with garlic, salt and butter. 

This is such a versatile recipe you can’t go wrong.  Usually all the ingredients you need are already in the house, and even the most finicky eaters are happy with the results. Besides, like loaves and fishes, a little goes a long way. Here is my recipe. Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO LATKES

1 Sweet Potato

1 small Red Onion cut in long, thin slices similar to the grated potato

2 Eggs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

2 – 3 Tablespoons dried Marjoram

Kosher Salt

White Pepper

Freshly Diced Chives (topping)

Greek Yogurt (topping)

Olive Oil for frying

Grate Potato by hand or in a Cuisinart and place in colander for at least 15 minutes.  Rinse, press to remove water. Lay grated potato on kitchen cloth, roll to squeeze our excess water.  Repeat until potato is as dry as you can get it.

 Mix together the eggs, sliced onion, marjoram, salt and white pepper in large mixing bowl.  Add potato, stir together until well blended.

Coat the bottom of non-stick skillet over medium heat with olive oil until hot, but not smoking.

Using a medium wooden spoon (or comparable spoon) drop mixture carefully into hot pan.  Use a fork to spread to preferred thickness.

Cook over medium heat until crispy on the outside (about 3 minutes). Turn carefully with spatula and crisp other side for another 3 minutes.

Work in batches adding oil as needed Remove to baking pan covered with newspaper and hold in 200 degree oven if not serving immediately.

When ready to serve top with a dollop of Greek yougurt and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Rice in America - A Brief History

Rice is an amazing grain. Throughout history, it has been one of man’s most important foods. Archeological evidence suggests rice has been feeding mankind for more than 5,000 years. The first documented account is found in a decree on rice planting authorized by a Chinese emperor about 2,800 BC, yet little is known about the origins of rice cultivation, although there is no doubt that rice first appeared in East Asia, India, China and Vietnam. Today, this unique grain helps sustain two-thirds of the world’s population. Click on the title to read more.

Garlic

A Pungent Scent and Distinctive Taste Make for Strong Opinions on This Ancient Bulb.

Read my previous posts to re-familiarize yourself with garlic's history, health benefits, and a primer on how to grow your own.

Baba Ghanoush and Hummus

Baba ghanoush and Hummus are very popular Middle Eastern dishes. Baba ghanoush is a paste made of roast or grilled eggplant and tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, while the main ingredient in hummus is chick peas.

For Baba Ghanoush, traditionally the eggplant is first roasted in an oven for approximately 45 minutes. The softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed to remove excess water, and is then pureed with the tahini.

There are many variants of both recipes, particularly the seasonings, which often include garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, mint, and parsley. When either is served on a plate or bowl, it is traditional to drizzle the top with olive oil. As an appetizer and dip Hummus is scooped with flatbread (such as pita) but is also served as part of a meze or as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken, fish or, yes, eggplant. Garnishes include chopped tomato, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, sautéed mushrooms, whole chickpeas, olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, ful, olives and pickles.

Outside the Middle East it is sometimes served with tortilla chips or crackers. Both are healthy snacks that can be eaten in a variety of ways, including as a dip with whole wheat bread or crackers, spread on pita, or added to other dishes. Many Vegetarians use baba ghanoush or hummus as a spread on sandwiches.

My friend, Manda, and I made batches of Hummus and Baba Ganoush for the holiday gifts. Even though Christmas and New Year’s have passed by already, these are easy appetizers to make for entertaining at home or bringing along to a party.

The following recipes Manda has been using for years personally, and for the catering she does at private parties. As I mention earlier there are many variations for spices and accompaniments, so take the basic recipe and modify it to your taste buds. 

Hummus

4 or 5 cloves of garlic

4 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup lemon juice2 tbsp.

tahini (sesame paste)

salt & pepper, to taste

pinch of ground cayenne pepper, to taste

a few drops of virgin olive oil

Mince garlic first in the food processor, then add the remaining ingredients and process well. Add a bit of warm water to achieve desired consistency. Taste and add more cayenne if you'd like it hotter, but remember that the taste will intensify after it is refrigerated.

Baba Ghanoush

4 or 5 cloves of garlic

3 large, firm eggplants

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

salt & pepper, to taste

a few drops of virgin olive oil

Put eggplants on a foil-covered baking sheet, poke them a few times with a fork (to avoid explosion) and char under the broiler, turning them several times, until skin is black and they collapse.While the eggplants char, mince garlic in food processor.When the eggplants are soft, peel the skin off and scrape the meat into the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and whir up until all is well-combined.

Manda also recommends.....

“Although you'll need to refrigerate both of these spreads to keep them, I find that they are more flavorful slightly warmed. Either one can be popped in the microwave briefly to bring them to a more tasty temperature. If you want to get all fancy-dancy, sprinkle a bit of fresh minced parsley and a touch of cayenne over the top before serving.

And, heck Beth, while I'm at it... I usually make my own pita chips to serve with these. No big deal: soften some butter, split the pitas and spread them with the butter before cutting them into triangles, arrange on a cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt, then toast under the broiler. Serve them warm with the dips.”

Beth's Spicy Hotdog Relish

Everybody's thinking about turkey leftovers. Me, I'm into hotdogs - all beef, natural casing dogs, no turkey dogs for me thank you.

Paul and I have a few favorite places like Blackie's in Cheshire, CT, Hotdog Heaven in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dalla Riva's Hotdog Cart seasonly in Kent, CT, and the Frisbee Market in Kittery, Maine where we make sure to stop when we're in those respective areas.

Some places just offer standard sides - mustard, ketchup, chopped onions, sauerkraut; others have signature relishes or spices. We like things spicy and the relish below was modified from a recipe I found on-line. I've tried it on my friends and most people like it. If you want to add a whole new new dimension to your plain ol' dog— a little spicy with a bit of a crunch give this recipe a try.

Just mix in a bowl and chill; can be stored for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

¼ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped dill pickle

¼ cup chopped sweet pickles

¼ cup small capers

¼ cup Gulden's mustard

¼ cup prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup ketchup (optional)

Daryl's Hot Peppers

This spring my friend Daryl gave me some seeds from a pepper he had wrapped up in tinfoil. He had been to a restaurant for dinner and complimented the chef on the meal and particularly the peppers. Well, the peppers were imported from Italy and he gave Daryl an actual pepper (hence the tinfoil wrapping). Well, Daryl knows I like to grow things and he was very excited at the prospect that he was going to be able to end up with bunches of these delicious peppers. I sprouted the seeds in the windowsill, transplanted them in the garden and they were growing steadily, getting big and green and bushy when I had a Japanese beetle invasion, so I lost a number of the plants. Fortunately I had kept some plants in pots on the porch and I didn’t lose all the pepper plants in the garden, one disaster averted. I watered them, I talked to them, and I picked the bugs off their leaves. At the end of the season I had a fair number of interesting looking, long, multi-colored (some green, some yellow, some orange) peppers to harvest.

The next step was to figure out exactly how to preserve them. I wanted to do Italian style preservation in what I assumed would be just olive oil, but every recipe I found was more towards pickling. I had all kinds of friends and relatives looking high and low for recipes on preserving peppers. Finally I modified one recipe from many. Then I looked at our “harvest” and I worried that if the recipe was bad I’d have no peppers to give Daryl. I assembled all my ingredients on the counter, picked out some jars for packing, got out the pots and pans; then I started getting really nervous, actually I had a panic attack. So I went and rearranged the pantry shelves and drank a couple beers while I was doing that. Then I looked at the pepper plants lined up in front of the windows. I rearranged all my pepper preserving materials on the counter again because they were in the wrong order. I called my girlfriend Suzanne who reviewed the recipe with me and gave me a pep talk. After hanging up the phone I circled the counter a few times and then looked at the clock and decided it was too late to put by peppers. I went to bed.

After a fitful night of tossing and turning and dreaming about all the horrible things that could go wrong, I got up a the crack of dawn, picked a peck of peppers, washed them off in the sink, rearranged all my stuff on the counter and decided to make myself a fortifying cup of tea. After feeding the piggies and circling the counter numerous times I yelled, “F**k It, it’s just damn PEPPERS!”, and I jumped in. I did one small batch and snuck them into Daryl’s fridge when he wasn’t looking. Then I went out for a few cocktails and put the whole experience out of my mind. I figured if Daryl didn’t like them I’d try something different, and if he liked them, well then it was worth all the worrying wasn’t it.

Guess what – he liked them, he really, really liked them. He told Paul (my better half) that they were good and he was looking forward to getting more. Needless to say the recipe has now become my “secret” Daryl’s Hot Peppers recipe. Here’s what it looked like when I put the rest of the peppers up. I saved a few that are drying for the seeds and I’m already looking forward to next year’s crop.

Pear-Ginger Crisp

You know I like to cook; particularly this time of year. When the days get short and cool you’ll find me in my kitchen, canning, creating, trying new recipes. When autumn’s in the air I always like to cook with apples: apple pie, apple sauce, apple crisp. While we have a lot of apples here in New England in the fall, I’ve always eyed the pears and wondered what I could do with them. Then, thanks to Rural Intelligence I discovered this recipe for Pear-Ginger Crisp. The texture is definitely different than apples but the flavors are delicious and the aroma when it is cooking is fantastic.

If you have friends that are allergic or don’t care for nuts substitute quick oats in the topping, and make sure you use a hard baking pear, such as Bosch or Red Anjou.

Pear and Ginger Crisp

Courtesy of Bobby Flay by way of Rural Intelligence

serves 10-12

3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1-1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

5 T sugar

pinch cinnamon

pinch kosher salt

9 T unsalted butter, room temperature (softened)

2 T fresh ginger, peeled and grated--about a four inch long piece, give or take

juice of 2 lemons

10 medium pears, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Make topping: toast pecans in a small sauté pan over medium heat until they become fragrant--just a few minutes. Don't let them burn! Mix flour, brown sugar, 2 T sugar, the cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl. Using a spoon, slowly stir in butter--the mixture will be crumbly and bumpy--and then stir in pecans.

In another larger bowl, gently stir together ginger, lemon juice, 3 T sugar, another pinch of salt and the sliced pears. Turn the fruit into a baking dish, and cover with the topping mixture. Bake until topping is crisp, about 50 minutes.

Cooking Up A Story...

I wanted to find a video that I could post here for everyone to enjoy that had to do with canning. I grew up canning, both my grandmothers and my mother gardened and canned, and so it is second nature to me.

I always do tomatoes because you can use them in so many recipes and I'm experimenting with a different preparation this year that I'll share with you later on. Jams and jellies are my favorite creations and I've put by a lovely blueberry jam, this year without sugar - just honey - and I must say it is fab.

In the meantime, enjoy this take on preserving food with "Cooking Up A Story".